The Tour
by OstaraNight
Summary: Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and Sakura are in a rock band that's an opening act for another band on a tour. The tour is just starting, and things are already getting complicated. You could even say troublesome for Shikamaru, all due to a hot blonde in the audience. Temari isn't a groupie but she sure is Trouble.
1. Chapter 1: Suna

Author Note: Just a head's up, I might add to this in the future, but it will probably be awhile. Also, I don't know much about touring as a band and all that is involved - so, I try to research online, but don't be surprised if I'm off on things.

Inner thoughts are in italics.

* * *

"I'm heading to get a drink from the bar."

"Check out how many people are out there, when you do." Choji requested.

"Yeah, sure." Shikamaru agreed as he headed for the door. Truth was he was already planning to scope out the crowd (which he was sure Choji already knew), and the drink was a way to distract himself from any nerves prior to the show. People would offer to get him a drink, so he wouldn't have to wander through the crowd, but this was a ritual. He'd get one for himself, so he could check out the space and report back.

The venue looked like it was filling, considering there was still a while before they would be taking the stage. The tour was starting in Suna and would be ending in Konoha. It was his band's first time opening for "Jinchuriki", and the start of a tour with the newly famous rock group. Jinchuriki had a couple songs take off, gaining the momentum to headline, and this being their first time doing so. With any luck his band, "Ten", would rise in popularity as they toured with them. Knowing Naruto, since childhood, was going to pay off.

Naruto was the lead singer of Jinchuriki and a guitarist, with Gaara as lead guitarist, Kankuro played bass guitar, Sai on keyboard/synthesizers, and Rock Lee on drums.

Rock Lee was a year older, and had gone to the same school as Shikamaru, so he had known him fairly well. Good guy, but tons of energy and really straight laced.

Sai had grown up in Konoha, but had gone to a weird religious private school. Naruto had met him after high school. Shikamaru had hung out with him at different parties that Naruto would drag Sai to. He was overall quiet and socially awkward guy, though he didn't really have a filter when he did speak. Still, he seemed like a decent guy.

Shikamaru hadn't known Gaara or Kankuro growing up, as they were from Suna, but they had hung out several times as a group when they were in Konoha, prior to agreeing to tour together (no one wants to go on tour with people they can't stand). He had learned they were brothers. Gaara the youngest, apparently. Kankuro was a middle child, and they had an older sister, who wasn't in the band. Gaara didn't say much, or even seem to express much, but Kankuro seemed to pick up his slack in those areas.

Leave it to Naruto to form a band from people that seemed to have little in common. Shikamaru could only think it had something to do with interesting fashion choices. Naruto had whiskers on his face and loved orange. Gaara went extra heavy on black eye makeup, had a tattoo on his forehead, and had no eyebrows. Kankuro liked to sport purple face paint and a cat eared hood. Sai loved rocking crop tops. And, lastly, Lee had a bowl cut and was all about green jumpsuits. (Which he claimed improved his drumming abilities.)

The members of Ten made more sense, at least to Shikamaru. Ino was the lead singer and guitarist, Sakura was lead guitar, he was on the bass guitar, and Choji was their drummer. They all grew up together in Konoha. Choji and Shikamaru were best friends, as were Ino and Sakura. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji's parents were so close that the three had grown up practically as siblings, so they had always been together. Growing up their parents had said they got into ten times the trouble when they were together, rather than by themselves. So, they went with Ten for their band name.

Shikamaru headed to the busy bar and saw an opening on the left side, with considerably less people, so he slipped in there. It didn't take very long to realize exactly why that area had less people, as the bartenders seemed to be neglecting the area.

Right before he was about to move to the right, and into the crowded line of people vying for drinks, a blonde squeezed in next to him._ Correction, a very hot blonde._ Her hair was pulled into four ponytails, and her black eyeliner made her teal eyes practically glow. Several piercings decorated her ears, along with a small stud in her nose, and eyebrow. She was tan and dressed in a black tank with the Jinchuriki logo on the back. (_Why couldn't it be the symbol for Ten?!_) A short black skirt, fishnets, and knee high boots pulled attention to her long legs. He rarely took note of most women, but after eyeing her, he was no longer interested in leaving his place at the bar. He watched as she paid him no attention, and tried to catch the bartender's attention.

"It's a drag, but he's avoiding this section of the bar. I've been trying for a while. We're going to have to move to the back of that group and wait, if we want to get anything."

Teal eyes turned his way. "Is that so? You must not be doing it right."

"Tch… whatever."

"Watch." She proceeded to push most of her body over the bar, bending at the hips and pushing up on her toes while resting on an elbow on the bar. She reached an arm forward to wave at the bartender. _Fuck._ Shikamaru's mouth dropped open slightly. All he could think of was him behind her… her naked… bent over just like that, but someplace without so many people. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought and return to the present. He hoped she hadn't noticed his gawking.

It took only a few seconds for the bartender to notice her and come their way. The bartender... who was not so subtlety checking her out, and apparently getting a good view of her cleavage as he did so, at least judging by his gaze. Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Hey, can I get a whiskey sour? And, for my friend…" She turned her head his way with a huge, practically feral, grin as she slid and pushed back to standing next to him.

Stunned by her grin, it took a second for him to realize she was talking to him and waiting for a response. "Ahh… a rum and coke?"

The bartender moved off and she turned to him again. "And that's how you do it." she smirked.

"Um, something tells me that wouldn't work so well for me."

"Depends on the bar."

He chuckled. "Fair."

The bartender returned with their drinks. _Damn that guy was fast._ They paid and stepped away from the bar.

He didn't want her to disappear. "So, um… you like Jinchuriki?" his free hand went to the back of his head. She looked at him, face unreadable. He wasn't good at this, but he pushed on. "I could get you backstage." Kankuro had told him that he said that to girls and it worked all the time. Many would do practically anything to get backstage. He hadn't tried it before, but he wanted her backstage with him. Once there he would just have to work on keeping her to himself.

"Is that the best you can do? I feel like you can do better."

"I thought that was pretty good." He could feel a bit of heat coming to his cheeks. He would be sharing with Kankuro just how badly his line had failed.

She started to walk away. "Can I get your name at least?"

She stopped, turned, and quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Okay, the first letter, then?"

He caught what he would guess was amusement in her eyes. "T."

"Ah... I know what it is. Troublesome."

She laughed, "Uh huh. You got it. You can just call me Trouble. Hmm… you must be Smooth?"

"Close. I'm Shikamaru." He smirked, glad to seem like he was finally getting somewhere.

Now she was definitely amused. "I knew you could do better." She leaned in and winked, "Well, Shikamaru, I'll see you later." It sounded like a promise.

"Will I, Trouble?"

"Oh, you will." She smirked before she turned and walked off.

Watching her hips, he definitely liked the sound of that. He headed for the door that lead him backstage, again.

* * *

"How's it looking?"

"Um, what?" Shikamaru, hadn't been paying attention.

"How many people, man?"

"Oh, good… good." Shikamaru lamely answered with a wave of his hand.

"You alright?" Choji eyed him suspiciously.

"Yeah. There was just this blonde with teal eyes… she was troublesome." Shikamaru looked pensive as the corners of his mouth twitched up.

"That so?" A huge grin spread across Choji's face. Choji, as Shikamaru's closest friend, wasn't about to let this go. This was out of character for Shikamaru. He rarely gave girls a second look, let alone let them get under his skin and distract him. "I'm all ears. You gotta tell me about this girl."

"Keep it down, Choji." Shikamaru hissed. "I'll tell you more, but you have to keep it between us. I don't want Ino to start interrogating me. She's relentless, and I'll never hear the end of it. She can be a real drag about these kinds of things."

Choji snorted and happily munched a chip. "True, but that's just because it's so rare. I can keep this between us, though."


	2. Chapter 2: Trouble

The show had sold out, and even though they were just the opening act, the venue was close to packed. Heat appeared to rise from the audience, as they jumped and moved to the music. The sweat sticking hair to faces and clothing to bodies.

Shikamaru could feel the beads of sweat gathering at his hairline and running down his face. Suna may not be a lot of things, but it was definitely hot. None of that mattered though, as the energy from the crowd was radiated up to the stage, fueling him and his bandmates. Performing caused a spike in adrenaline and a type of high, which was amplified the more the audience got into it. Tonight it was strong, and it coursed through his veins as he drank it in. He looked around at his other band members, and could see they felt it too.

This tour was mostly small to medium sized venues, that could fit 200-500 people. Something that Shikamaru had been glad to hear. The more intimate venues suited their style and playing sold out shows always had more energy than the half filled ones of larger arenas, even if overall there were more people in the crowd.

There was a slight pause, between songs, and Ino spoke to the crowd. The crowd was cheering and screaming back. That's when Shikamaru spotted the blonde from earlier in the crowd… Trouble. She was sweaty, with her bangs sticking slightly to her face, her ponytails drooping, and her tank sticking to her body. He decided she looked better that way. She wasn't at the front of the crowd but further back, near the guy running the sound board. Within a couple seconds she looked at him, their eyes locking. He swore he felt electricity run through his body. It wasn't until Ino bumped his shoulder with her's that he looked away, realizing that the next song had already started without him.

After that he was conscious to only steal occasional looks at her, though she seemed to always be looking at him, when he did. (Something he didn't mind in the least.) His plan was to play it cool, and focus on playing. Girls love guys who play in bands, and he wanted her impressed. He sure as hell wasn't about to forget how she said she would see him later, and everything he hoped that would entail.

Shikamaru could hear Jinchuriki playing their encore, as he downed water and lounged on the couch in the backstage room. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Their set had gone really well. He could hear Sakura and Ino excitedly chatting and Choji munching on snacks next to him on the couch. To anyone else, he looked like the epitome of relaxed, with his eyes closed, but he felt on edge. He had made sure to tell the guys working security to let a blonde with four ponytails through, if she wanted backstage, but he still hadn't seen her.

_Probably just wanting to finish watching Jinchuriki before she comes back_. _Based on her shirt alone, she was here for their set in the first place._ He reasoned with an odd note of bitterness.

Just then an excited Naruto burst through the door, followed by the rest of his band members. "That was amazing! We were awesome. Believe it!"

"The crowd out there was really great!" Ino chimed.

"Shikamaru, wake up! You alive?!" Naruto was right in front of him and had kicked his foot.

Peeling his eyes open, "Don't worry, I'm awake."

"We can wait until most of the crowd leaves, and then we should hit the bar. We can celebrate a great start to the tour, and maybe hang out with some of our fans." Naruto loved basking in the attention and admiration of his fans, something that Shikamaru couldn't fault him for, as he grew up without a family and only a few friends.

The thought that they might run into Trouble sounded good enough to Shikamaru. "Sure."

Choji eyed Shikamaru. Usually, he hated dealing with fans, so this was a bit of a surprise, but he had his suspicions.

"We will share our youthful energy with them!" Lee added, and Kankuro snickered and clapped him on the back, with everyone else choosing to ignore how sexual that would sound if was said by anyone other than Lee.

"Sounds like a plan, then." Kankuro glanced at Gaara to make sure he planning to join, and Gaara gave a very slight nod to affirm.

Just then Shikamaru felt Choji's elbow nudge him. When he looked, Choji motioned for with a slight nod that Shikamaru should look to the door. And there she was. A small smirk tugged at his lips and he waited for her eyes to find his. _Play it cool._

However, the next thing he saw was Kankuro grabbing her and picking her up in a sweeping, spinning hug. "Mari! What did you think?! Did you see the crowd?!"

"You fucking rocked!" She proclaimed as was set to the ground and Kankuro threw his arm over her shoulders.

"Fuck… no. That's her." Shikamaru breathed, with only Choji hearing him, as the other members of Jinchuriki headed the blonde's way.

"Hey, man… maybe it's not so bad? Maybe she isn't Kankuro's girlfriend?"

Shikamaru watched as she chatted with Kankuro, Gaara, Lee, Sai, and Naruto. They all looked familiar with each other. A sense of dread washing over him. She hugged Gaara, though he was unreadable, except that he embraced her briefly back. Then she went as far to mess Gaara's hair, without any real reaction from Gaara.

Then, Naruto grabbed her hand and dragged her towards him, with a huge smile on his face. Shikamaru desperately wanted to run for a cigarette, but there was no route that would let him avoid the trainwreck that was coming his way. Kankuro and Gaara following in their wake.

"Hey, Choji and Shikamaru, this is Temari! She's our manager, and Gaara and Kankuro's sister."

"We've met." she smirked as she winked at Shikamaru. Confusion crossed Naruto, Gaara, and Kankuro's faces. Perhaps he was imagining it, but he was pretty sure Gaara and Kankuro's looks also had a hint of suspicion and protective anger in their eyes.

There was a slight moment of silence, as Choji began to cough on a chip that caught in his throat. "Uhhh… right…" Shikamaru wasn't sure how to respond. He really hadn't wanted to start any trouble with Kankuro and Gaara, let alone, right at the start of the tour.

"Well, not in person, I guess, but in emails when I was working out the details for the tour." Faces relaxed and Shikamaru felt a slight wave of relief, despite Temari's teasing teal eyes. "I would have been back here before the show, but I was working out some last minute details, and then I wanted to actually see the show. I'm glad to get to actually meet you guys in person, now. The crowd really seemed to be really into your set. Great way to start the tour."

"Yeah, thanks! It's nice to meet you… in person." Choji helpfully responded, as Shikamaru sat stunned.

"Now let me introduce you to Ino and Sakura!" Naruto pulled her off, and the group was gone.

"Trouble is right." Shikamaru mumbled.

"At least she's not dating Kankuro. You know, she's just his sister." Choji really wasn't helping, though he did seem to be trying.

"I don't think that's much better. I'm going for a cigarette." Shikamaru stalked out of the room, as Choji quietly chuckled to himself.


	3. Chapter 3: Slow Deaths

"Choji told me I could find you out here... killing yourself slowly."

Shikamaru sighed but otherwise ignored Ino. He continued to take slow drags on his cigarette as he leaned against the building, in the alleyway behind the venue.

"You know, I heard that you already agreed to hang out, so you're not getting out of this. Everyone is just heading into the bar area. It should be a good time."

"Too busy killing myself here, Ino."

"That so?" Ino stepped closer and grabbed his cigarette, then immediately dropped it to the ground, grinding it into the asphalt with her heel. "Oh, looks like you're done, now." she smiled sweetly. Shikamaru glared at her, but said nothing.

"What's with you, anyway? The show was great, and other than you spacing out mid show, you were really on tonight. I hear you even agreed to meet fans and hang out with everyone without anyone forcing you. But now, all of a sudden, you're pissy and just want to hang out with garbage cans... in the heat… in the alley." She wasn't impressed.

Shikamaru started to pull out another cigarette, but Ino swiped his pack. "No more cancer sticks for you. You don't have to tell me what's going on, but if you want them back you're gonna have to come back inside with me and be sociable, first."

"Fine." After so many years of knowing Ino, he knew she could be stubborn, and this just wasn't worth the fight. It's not like he could really avoid everyone indefinitely, anyway. Not to mention, the air was still and stifling in the alley, despite the sun having already set, and he did feel like he could use a drink.

She smiled triumphantly and headed to the door that led inside with Shikamaru dragging himself along behind her.

* * *

Shikamaru and Choji had took up a place at the bar, and Shikamaru leaned his back into it. "Un huh...yeah." He absently replied to the two girls talking to them. Their giggling eased any guilt about his lack of interest. He hated that he volunteered himself for this, but at least he got a nice view. He half listened and distractedly watched Temari, who stood near her brothers, as they spoke with several people. Most likely people they already knew from Suna.

Then, as if she could feel his eyes roam over her, she turned her head slightly and looked in his direction. Catching his stare, she held the look for a couple of seconds as a small smirk appeared on her lips. Shikamaru refused to look away and smirked back, before she turned back to her group.

A few minutes later, the girls wandered off (not impressed with Shikamaru's apparent lack of interest) and Temari was headed up to the bar, a bit to the right of where he and Choji still stood. Again Temari leaned over the bar while ordering her drinks. Shikamaru watched as the bartender once again did little to hide his stare at Temari's cleavage, and Shikamaru felt himself glaring at him for no other reason than annoyance that he wasn't in his position.

He was watching the happenings at the bar so closely that he didn't realize Kankuro had sidled up next to him until he bumped into his side, and Shikamaru jumped slightly at the surprise. Kankuro didn't appear to notice as he kept his focus on the bar, "The nerve of that guy just staring at her. I should fucking kill him slowly… or at least beat him up. That's my damn sister. He knows it too," Kanuro growled next to him.

"Oh?"

"We got our start here, a big part because that guy, Baki, over there." Kankuro motioned with his head to a tall older guy with part of his face covered. He was one of the people they had been talking to previously. "He's our Godfather and pretty much raised us. This is his place and we spent a lot of time here. We know everyone who works here. It's why we wanted to start the tour here, too. I have half the mind to go talk to him about a member of his staff eyeing Mari like that, but she can handle herself." He took a pause to take a drink before continuing on a little quieter than before, "She'd probably kill me if I did, anyway. She's too good for him..." Suddenly he smiled viciously and continued, "Bastard doesn't stand a chance."

The words hung ominously in the air for a moment before Kankuro returned to his chipper self and announced, "Enough of that. This is a celebration! Let's all take a celebratory shot together to kick this thing off! I'll round everyone up and we'll do this right."

Choji happily seconded the idea and Kankuro disappeared from Shikamaru's side to gather everyone together. Leaving Choji shaking with repressed laughter and Shikmaru cursing under his breath as Temari came their way.

"I'm not sure what Kankuro is up to, but from the looks on both of your faces, it probably isn't anything good."

"Kankuro is going to gather everyone and have us all do a celebratory shot together." Choji offered as he gained control of himself, but was obviously still enjoying Shikamaru's discomfort in a way that only a good friend could.

"My little brother actually has a great idea!? So, why do you look so grumpy, Smooth? I mean, Shikamaru," she teased.

Shikamaru shrugged, "This is such a drag. We're gonna get hammered and we have to be on the bus tomorrow morning. I don't know if it makes sense to be taking shots right now."

"The bus leaves at 11am. I wouldn't necessarily call that morning." She laughed, handing him a rum and coke. "And here, I even got you this."

Shikamaru accepted the drink, trying to calculate how likely he was to have a hangover on the bus the next day, while also contemplating if it meant anything that she had bothered to get him the drink.

It wasn't long before Kankuro was back and they all were being handed shots of tequila with wedges of lime and salt got passed around. Everyone gathered around Kankuro and during the trickly climb of the half drunk that Kankuro undertook to get to the top of the bar, Temari turned to Shikamaru.

"Have you ever done one of these?" She didn't wait for him to actually reply. "Don't worry, you can watch me and I'll show you how it's done."

Then Kankuro was standing precariously atop the bar. His shot raised in the air in a toast. "To the best fucking tour in the name of tours!" He proceeded to take his shot as everyone cheered before taking their own.

Shikmaru watched Temari. He watched salaciously as she drug her tongue over the salt on her hand. He watched her as she tipped the shot back exposing the skin of her neck that he desperately wanted to suck and bite. He watched her throat as she swallowed it, as all he could think of was having her swallow him. He watched as she bit down into the lime wedge that left it's juice on her lips and he held back from licking off with his own tongue.

The room felt hot and his pants tight as her teasing eyes fell on him now that she had finished. He quickly threw his shot back in an attempt to gain control of his thoughts. He knew actually doing anything with her would only cause issues, as it was apparent her brothers wouldn't appreciate it, and yet he still couldn't get himself to stop wanting her. How was she doing this to him?

He felt the welcomed burn of the shot down the back of his throat, not caring that he had skipped the salt and planned to skip the lime too. He wouldn't get the shot right, but he had gotten something else right. Trouble was just the right name for her.


End file.
